San Marcos Island and offshore waters
The day had hardly begun when a pleasant surprise made everyone on board run to the outside: a fin whale right next to the Sea Voyager! Swimming leisurely at the surface some one hundred yards from us, that second largest of all whales provided us with both good photo opportunities and a great mood to start the day. And all before breakfast!
Later on, we divided into several groups to explore San Marcos Island. Walking along one of the many dry arroyos on the northern side of the island, we admired dramatic landscapes of rugged beauty. Ravens, ospreys, old man cactus and desert lavender were just some of the animals and plants that we were lucky to see before going back to the ship and getting ready for some water sports. The joys of sea kayaking were experienced by many and even gained some new adepts to it today. Snorkeling in very clear waters, under impressive natural arches and among hundreds of reef fishes was a hit. Many of us were able to see up close myriads of scissor-tail damselfishes, abundant wrasses and angelfishes, the aptly-named chocolate-chip sea star and even some bullseye electric rays! (see photo)
After such an active morning and a well deserved lunch, we sailed the deep waters between San Marcos and Tortuga islands looking for marine creatures. It seemed difficult to top the earlier hours of the day, but that proved wrong. Another fin whale provided us with a very rarely seen show as it did a couple breaches not far away from the ship! Later on, sperm whales were spotted and we were delighted by the sight of their flukes being raised above the surface before a deep dive. The whales were still in sight as the day came to an end and some were still seen through the windows of the dining room as dinner was being served and provided the perfect match for such a morning. Undoubtedly, this was a whale of a day!
The day had hardly begun when a pleasant surprise made everyone on board run to the outside: a fin whale right next to the Sea Voyager! Swimming leisurely at the surface some one hundred yards from us, that second largest of all whales provided us with both good photo opportunities and a great mood to start the day. And all before breakfast!
Later on, we divided into several groups to explore San Marcos Island. Walking along one of the many dry arroyos on the northern side of the island, we admired dramatic landscapes of rugged beauty. Ravens, ospreys, old man cactus and desert lavender were just some of the animals and plants that we were lucky to see before going back to the ship and getting ready for some water sports. The joys of sea kayaking were experienced by many and even gained some new adepts to it today. Snorkeling in very clear waters, under impressive natural arches and among hundreds of reef fishes was a hit. Many of us were able to see up close myriads of scissor-tail damselfishes, abundant wrasses and angelfishes, the aptly-named chocolate-chip sea star and even some bullseye electric rays! (see photo)
After such an active morning and a well deserved lunch, we sailed the deep waters between San Marcos and Tortuga islands looking for marine creatures. It seemed difficult to top the earlier hours of the day, but that proved wrong. Another fin whale provided us with a very rarely seen show as it did a couple breaches not far away from the ship! Later on, sperm whales were spotted and we were delighted by the sight of their flukes being raised above the surface before a deep dive. The whales were still in sight as the day came to an end and some were still seen through the windows of the dining room as dinner was being served and provided the perfect match for such a morning. Undoubtedly, this was a whale of a day!
